The company alleges the 2nd Bureau of the PLA General staff Department’s (GsD) 3rd Department, operating out of a building in Shanghai, or PLA Unit 61398, is an “Advanced Persistent Threat,” (APT) responsible for theft of data from U.S. and Western interests.

Specifically, Mandiant has concluded PLA Unit 61398 is one known more notoriously as “APT 1,” read the report.

“Our analysis has led us to conclude that APT1 is likely government-sponsored and one of the most persistent of China’s cyber threat actors. We believe that APT1 is able to wage such a long-running and extensive cyber espionage campaign in large part because it receives direct government support,” read the report.

If accurate, the report creates the most public link to date from China’s government to a growing cadre of sophisticated users that are bent on acquiring intellectual property.

While China’s manufacturing sectors have boomed, they are still on the trailing edge of high-technology research, especially in the military and defense technology realm. A peek at what higher technology firms are developing cuts the technology gap considerably. The Soviet military industry was notorious during the Cold War for reverse engineering stolen high technology Western designs and then manufacturing knock-offs for military.

China’s government has long been accused of similar behavior with little tangible evidence. All accusations, including this one have been met with denials.

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About Sam LaGrone

Sam LaGrone is the editor of USNI News. He was formerly the U.S. Maritime Correspondent for the Washington D.C. bureau of Jane’s Defence Weekly and Jane’s Navy International. He has covered legislation, acquisition and operations for the Sea Services and spent time underway with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Canadian Navy.